Fox cancels Cops, sending it to walk the basic-cable back alleyways of Spike

Where what the bad boys are gonna do is watch Star Wars again

Marking the end of an era with a little digital blur over its crotch area, Fox wrapped up primetime’s longest-running reality show Cops last night, the 25th season closer serving as a series finale as quiet as its suspects were loud. The network had indicated plans to take Cops off its programming block last year, when it delayed the start of the season until December and significantly cut back on the number of ordered episodes—a reduction that sent producers looking for a new home it could fill with drunk, pants-less guys insisting this is their house and they have rights, you know. Fittingly, it found it over at Spike TV, the basic-cable channel where the right to be a drunk, pants-less guy forms the foundation for an entire lineup of entertainment. Season 26 of Cops will premiere Saturdays on Spike in the fall; it’s really gonna take this second chance to get itself together, sir, thank you sir.